Reinforcing or stay bolt for tool-handles



ZZQM I L. E. WEBSTER. REINFORCING 0R STAY BOLT FOR TO OL HANDLES. APPLICATION HLED'MAY 14, 1919.

WITNESSES: INYE/Y TOR:

W Lewisfi'dmond websi'eg ATTORNEYS.

' Patentxad Mar. 1,1921. v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS EDMOND WEBSTER, 0F WYOMING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE WYOMING SHOVEL WORKS, OF WYOMING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- TION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

'REINFORGING OR STAY BOLT FOR TOOL-EIANDLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar; 1, 1921.

Application fiIed May 14, 1919... Serial No. 297,009.

To wll'whomz't concern:

Be it known that I, Lnwis EDMOND WEB- STER, a citizen of'the United States, resid-l ing at Wyoming, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reinforcing or Stay Bolts for Tool-Handles, whereof the following is a specifica-' tion, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. 1

The invention relates to bolts such as are more particularly useful in reinforcing wooden shovel handles or similar structures. r

Such handles are ordinarily manufactured from a single piece and so carved as to afford appropriate hand grips. In order to reinforce the handles against splitting under rough usage, it is customary to provide them, at one or more regions, with transversestay bolts. initially headed at one end and subsequently riveted over at the other, after insertion. While the assem blage thus completed is very satisfactory initially, after a time however, the bolt ends invariably begin to protrude by reason oft-he shrinkage of the wood. In attempting to remedy this defect, hammering of the bolt endsis generall resorted to, which, instead of restoring the security of the bolt,

- results in lateral flexure of the same, and in turn causes the splitting of the handle.

The purpose of the present invention .is to obviate the difficulties above pointed out; and to this end, the invention comprises a composite reinforcing or stay bolt capable of self adjustment to compensate for shrinkage of the structure with which it'is associated, and performing its allotted function notwithstanding such shrinkage.

In the drawings, Figure I, is an elevation of a shovel handle reinforced by reinforcing bolts conveniently embodying my inven-- tion, the grip portion of the handle being illustrated partially in section so as to more clearly show the structure.

Fig. II, is a perspective view of one of the bolt sections. 1 1 The shovel handle 1, isofthe usual configuration and is reinforced, according to at one end, in a head 6, which may be of any appropriate form. -The opposite end'portion of the shank is laterally reduced and flattened to a semicircular cross section as lndicated at 7 and at the axial plane, the

reduced portion is provided with serrations 8 with their abrupt'faces toward the headed end of the section. When the bolt is assembled, these semicircular ends overlap as shown in Fig. I, so that the cylindrical con tinuity of the resultant composite bolt shank is preserved. The serrations 8, slope downwardly toward the free end of the shank, the

latter being chamfered on the reduced side at its extremity, as at 9, andalso slightly rounded as indicated at 10, sothat the section may shift longitudinally in its receiv- 1ng aperture without any possibility of its end engaging thev wall thereof.

At a region inclose proximity to the head 6, the shank'is provided with integral radial projections 11, 11, set up in any convenient manner. for exampleby stamping and preferably located diametrically opposite one another. In the illustrations, only two of such projections have been shown, but the number may be varied to suit any special. practical requirements.

In the course of the manufacture, the handle 1, is first bored at the regions where reinforcement is desired, the holes being represented by the numerals 12, 12, in the drawings'. The terminal ends of the holes 12, are counterbored'as at 13,43, to accommodate the bolt heads 6. In' assembling, the bolt sections are introduced, free end foremost, into the prepared receiving holes. said sections being initially arranged so that their serrated ends subsequently overlap when forcibly driven home in opposition to the re.-

' sistance offered by the projections 11, 11. It

will be noted, th at during the course of this operation, the chamfered ends 9, of the shanks 5, and also the serrations 8, ride readily over each other by reason of their complementary sloping, and that thechamfered ends of the sectionscoact to bring them into proper angular relation for inter-lockingof their serrations in case they are initially 1nserted with their flattened sides more or less at an angle to one another. When once the rest position has been reached, a rigid interlock against subsequent longitudinal separation of the bolt sections is established. After the projections 11, 11, have become firmly embedded and engaged in the wood of the handle, the bolt-sections are so secured therein that the headed ends of the bolts become substantially fixed elements, while the shanks themselves are comparatively free to shift farther toward each other without interference from the ,serrations in the event of shrinkage of the material of the handle. This automatically shortens the bolt to compensate for such shrinkage, and the capacity of the serrated interlocking means of the overlapping portions for interengagement in divers endwise relative positions permits effectual relocking after such shifting. It will thus be seen that the stay bolt adjusts itself automatically to any new conditions resulting from the contraction referred to.

' Notwithstanding such automatic readjustment, the characteristic function of the bolt is still maintained. In other words the bolt serves at all times to stay the structure not only in a longitudinal direction as already understoood from the foregoing description, but also laterally, byvirtue of the rigidity afforded the bolt shank by the walls of the receiving hole when taken in connection with the extent of overlap of the component sections. Furthermore, the possibility of the protrusion of the bolt heads is positively obviated by the permanent lodgment of the,

lugs or projections 10, in the Wood of the handle.

While I have more particularly shown and described my invention in association with a shovel handle, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be thus limited, since it may be employed to equal advantage for analogous purposes in other similar structures.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A reinforcing or stay bolt comprising two component sections adapted to be inserted, end to end, in a receiving aperture traversing the structure to be reinforced; the meeting ends of said sections being formed with cooperative interlocking means where by subsequent separation of the bolt sections is prevented: and each of said sections having means for so securing it in the structure to be reinforced that the bolt shall automatically-shorten itself to compensate for shrinkage of said structure;

2. A reinforcing or stay bolt comprising.

two component-sections adapted to be inserted, end to end, in a receiving aperture traversing the structure to be reinforced;

the meeting ends of said sections being adapted to overlap, and 'respectlvely provided, along the plane, of juncture, with serrations inclined so that the overlapping ends will readily ride over each other when the composite bolt is initially assembled, but which will prevent any subsequent separation of the bolt sections; and each of said sections having means for so securing it in the structure to" be reinforced that the bolt shall automatically shorten itself to compensate for shrinkage of said structure.

3. A reinforcing or stay bolt comprising two. component sections adapted to be inserted, end to end, in a receiving aperture traversing the structure to be reinforced; the meeting ends of said sections being formed with interlocking means whereby subsequent longitudinal separation of the bolt sections is prevented, but which are capable of yielding to relative movement of the bolt sections in the opposite direction for readjustment of the interlock to compensate for contraction in the material of the reinforced structure; and securing means whereby the outer ends of the bolt sections are secured in fixed relation to the structure. I I

4. A reinforcing or stay bolt comprising two component sections adapted to be" inserted, end to end, in a receivin aperture traversing the structure to be rein orced; the meeting ends of said sections beingform'ed with interlocking means whereb subsequent longitudinal separation of the olt sections is prevented, but which are capable of yielding to relative movement of the bolt sections in the opposite direction for readjustment of the interlock to compensate for contraction in the material of the reinforced structure; heads formed upon the outer ends of the composite bolt; and lugs projectin from the bolt sections adjacent the hea s and adapted to be forcibly embedded in'the material of the structure whereby the outer ends of the composite bolt are secured in fixed relation to the structure.

5. A headed reinforcing or stay bolt section having adjacent its head projecting lugs adapted to be embedded and engaged in the structure to be-reinforced, and having its end portion opposite the head laterally reduced and serrated along an axial plane with the abrupt faces of the serrations toward the headed end of the section, and chamfered on the reduced side at its extremity; so that a pair of such sections inserted endwise from opposite sides of the structure to be reinforced will automatically be brought to proper angular relation for interlocking by oaction of their chamfered ends, and that In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed the serrations may interlock securely in my name at Scranton, Pennsylvania, this divers endwise relative positions of the in- 12th da of May 1919. sorted sections Without interference with EWIS EDMOND WEBSTER. 5 their movement toward one another by Witnesses:

means of the lugs aforesaid When therein- NATHANIEL GOULD ROBERTSON, forced structure shrinks; HERBERT THOMAS POTTER; 

